Activity and Plans

a) maintenance of the existing systems around the world. A large number of scientific institutions around the world make use of the DBBC system for astronomical, geodetic and space science radioastronomy observations. A continuous support is offered to the personnel operating the system in order to adapt, improve, maintain at the best level the quality of the scientific data produced by the DBBC2 family products. An important possibility is offered by the chance to operate assist in remote any system around the world, when this would be required. When not possible in the local site, if required, hardware repair or refurbishment is performed in the VLBI lab in Bonn.

b) new firmware/software packages are proposed during the year in order to add functionalities, improve performance and correct bugs. The distribution of the new versions is passing through a beta phase, which after having collected comments from the stations evolves in the formal new version. The download area in the HAT-Lab web site collect and distribute such old and newer versions.

c) production of any new systems after the order is an artisanal number of tasks. Every new system has its own story and is grown up with all the care it requires. Parts are ordered, the several production phases are followed by the personnel involved in Italy, Germany, China, Hong Kong for a full perfectly integrated sequence of activities. Final assembly and test is performed in Bonn.

d) the HAT-Lab development team is fully involved in new projects for invent, create, produce prototypes and new products related to the radio-astronomy technology area. Full involvement in the newest VLBI technology frontiers poses the base for every day better systems and perspective of new instrumentation for the VLBI and more in general scientific applications.

e) starting with the 2018 HAT-Lab will be involved in the 'Funk Haus' project, in a new site on the Etna slopes in Sicily. This project is consider the development of receiving antennas fro radioastronomy and for very particular applications. In the site a SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) will be create which will be a demonstrator and observe targeted sky portions 24h/day 365 days/year in order to detect any possible not-human signal as trigger and requiring additional investigation.